Fireworks, more set for Fourth of July

Matt Stephan reads the Declaration of Independence during the 2012 Old-Fashioned Fourth at the Forks. TAB file photo.

Huntington County residents can celebrate their country's independence at fireworks displays in three communities on two different days.

To add a little variety, an old-fashioned celebration of Independence Day will take place at the Historic Forks of the Wabash.

Fireworks displays will light the skies of Huntington and Roanoke the evening of Thursday, July 4. In Warren, the pyrotechnics will be shot off Sunday evening, July 7, as a finale to the Salamonie Summer Festival.

The Old-Fashioned Fourth at the Forks will be held on Thursday, July 4, at the Forks of the Wabash Historic Park.

The Forks celebration will center on a "very traditional" program beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting 45 minutes to an hour, organizer Lynn Brown says.

The program opens with the presentation of the colors, recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the national anthem. The Erie Band will perform under the direction of Thaine Campbell, and Johanna Lange will lead those attending in a sing-along.

The Historic Forks complex now includes a trading post staffed by interpreters, and a local historian will discuss how those early trading posts played a role in starting the French and Indian War, which in turn became a driving force in the beginning of the American Revolution.

Buildings at the Historic Forks will be open and staffed by interpreters from 9:30 a.m. until about 2 p.m. on the Fourth. After the program, a roast hog meal will be served in the Historic Forks meeting room.

All events are free; a free-will donation will be requested for the meal.

Here are details of the trio of fireworks displays:

• Huntington - Fireworks will be shot off from the grounds of Huntington North High School, near the baseball field between Viking Lane and U.S.-24, on Thursday, July 4, beginning at 10:05 p.m.

The display will last between 20 and 25 minutes, says Jennifer Fisher, who coordinates the project with her husband Dan Fisher. The sponsor, American Legion Post 7, stages the show with funds raised in the community.

Fisher promises that the show will be worth watching.

"We try and raise the bar every year," she says. "People will just want to come. We've raised the bar right up there this year."

The rain date for the Huntington show is July 5.

• Roanoke - The town's Parks Department will light the fireworks at dusk on Thursday, July 4, at Roanoke Park.

"It's a really good display for a small town," Roanoke Town Council President Dave Tucker says. "It's free, and it's easy in, easy out."

There is no official rain date. Tucker says that will be addressed later, if necessary.

• Warren - The fireworks will be shot off from Tower Park, in Warren, at dusk on Sunday, July 7.

The After 6 Band will open the evening's festivities at the park, playing current and classic tunes in a variety of genres from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Tower Park stage. Winners in the festival raffles will be drawn at 9 p.m. on stage.

Local Cub Scouts will raise the flag at 9:45 p.m. prior to the fireworks display.

Rain date for the fireworks in Warren is Saturday, July 13.

Complete caption: Matt Stephan reads the Declaration of Independence during the 2012 Old-Fashioned Fourth at the Forks. The old-fashioned celebration will be held again this year at the Historic Forks of the Wabash on Thursday, July 4. In addition, holiday fireworks displays will be held the evening of July 4 in Huntington and Roanoke and on July 7 in Warren.